- description
- # LATER FROM THE FORT.
## Overview
"Later From The Fort." is a segment of poetry extracted from the larger work, [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9). This segment spans lines 539-592 of the source text and details the ongoing siege of Fort Donelson.
## Context
This poetic segment is part of [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9), a collection of poems by Herman Melville, which is itself contained within the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It was extracted from the digital text file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). It follows the segment titled [Donelson.](arke:01KG8AJKCQKAJVEH1V8BXEHWC7) and precedes the segment titled [FURTHER.](arke:01KG8AJKCQXPFPDA279EN2YZQE), continuing the narrative of the Battle of Fort Donelson.
## Contents
The poem describes the progress of General Grant's investment of Fort Donelson, detailing the completion of a semicircular siege line. It recounts the fighting for woods, hills, and glens, the constant skirmishing, and the harsh, unseasonable cold weather. The text mentions a sortie by the foe on Thursday, which was repelled, and a subsequent storming of their left flank. The poem also notes the loss of Colonel Morrison and concludes with a sense of impending victory for the Union forces, foreshadowing the fall of Donelson.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:21.891Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- LATER FROM THE FORT.
- end_line
- 592
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 539
- text
- LATER FROM THE FORT.
_Grant’s investment is complete--
A semicircular one.
Both wings the Cumberland’s margin meet,
Then, backwkard curving, clasp the rebel seat.
On Wednesday this good work was done;
But of the doers some lie prone.
Each wood, each hill, each glen was fought for;
The bold inclosing line we wrought for
Flamed with sharpshooters. Each cliff cost
A limb or life. But back we forced
Reserves and all; made good our hold;
And so we rest.
Events unfold.
On Thursday added ground was won,
A long bold steep: we near the Den.
Later the foe came shouting down
In sortie, which was quelled; and then
We stormed them on their left.
A chilly change in the afternoon;
The sky, late clear, is now bereft
Of sun. Last night the ground froze hard--
Rings to the enemy as they run
Within their works. A ramrod bites
The lip it meets. The cold incites
To swinging of arms with brisk rebound.
Smart blows ’gainst lusty chests resound.
Along the outer line we ward
A crackle of skirmishing goes on.
Our lads creep round on hand and knee,
They fight from behind each trunk and stone;
And sometimes, flying for refuge, one
Finds ’tis an enemy shares the tree.
Some scores are maimed by boughs shot off
In the glades by the Fort’s big gun.
We mourn the loss of colonel Morrison,
Killed while cheering his regiment on.
Their far sharpshooters try our stuff;
And ours return them puff for puff:
’Tis diamond-cutting-diamond work.
Woe on the rebel cannoneer
Who shows his head. Our fellows lurk
Like Indians that waylay the deer
By the wild salt-spring.--The sky is dun,
Fordooming the fall of Donelson.
Stern weather is all unwonted here.
The people of the country own
We brought it. Yea, the earnest North
Has elementally issued forth
To storm this Donelson._
- title
- LATER FROM THE FORT.